HAPPY SPRING! Some Recent Observations

While the weather has been uncertain lately, Mother Nature knows it is Spring. Yesterday it was snowing (lightly) all day and today it was in the upper 50s. But the flowers and bushes are still blooming on schedule, the birds are singing their spring songs, and allergy season is full on.

There hasn’t been much bird activity to report around the Rancho. We’ve noticed that the migration of the Sandhill Cranes is about over. The Juncos seem to have left too. Wednesday I saw our Ruby-crowned Kinglet but he will probably be leaving soon. On Tuesday afternoon I heard and then saw that the Eurasian Collared Doves have returned. And on Monday there was a reported sighting of an Osprey! Ooops, that was not a wild bird but the military flying machine. Yes, we are the new home to those birds, stationed at Kirtland AFB.

We have been seeing the Robins and Starlings at the birdbath daily. Also, the Mourning Dove pair has been hanging around the patio beneath the thistle feeder and at the birdbath. The chickens have been on alert, sounding alarms as the hawk activity has picked up lately. That is the fate of the pigeon population that hangs out around the feeders here.

Speaking of the chickens, they have been quite sneaky. They both started their first nests early, and before we located them, they each had laid about a dozen eggs. By then, they were on their second nests and now seem to be about finished with them. Another two dozen. That’s a lot of eggs to toss out. We are watching to see where and when they start their next ones. It would be nice to get the eggs when fresh. Some day we’ll get a coop for them and then we won’t have this problem. Still looking for help/info on keeping laying hens. Oh well.

Happy Spring!